Neues Arbeitnehmererfinderrecht an Hochschulen: Eine empirische Bestandsaufnahme in Thüringen

For about the last two decades a worldwide transformation has taken place that has greatly influenced function and importance of the academic system. The role of the universities is no longer limited to the generation and imparting of knowledge, in the meantime it has been joined by so called »Entrepreneurial Science«, the economic utilization of research results. In the last few years, the German legislator has significantly improved the general conditions regarding the protection and commercialization of university inventions to the advantage of the universities themselves. The acceptance and the perception of the new regulations and the subsequent problems are the subject of the present empirical study taking place at Thuringian universities. Although the opinion of those working at universities on industrial property rights is not one of disapproval – in fact, commercialization and spin-offs are seen in a positive light – with regard to the new regulations there still prevails a considerable deficit of information. Publication is also deemed of considerably higher importance than industrial property rights and their commercial exploitation. Finally, legal institution of »negative freedom of publication« can stand in the way of the aims of the legislator. In contrast to this, the new regulations governing remuneration for university inventions represent an incentive for more inventive activities at universities.